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A few more blocks and the rag-tag group were soon to at Cade's room, using everything they can to achieve their goal in aiding Surwick. It was the basic rule of living: its to kill or be killed. The creatures known as Reapers could not be reasoned with or be avoided when one is backed up in the corner—these abominations hold true to their instincts.
A brainless predator that lives only to consume, consume, consume until there is nothing left to consume. Their existence has only been known to the public since 2012, but there is no more details of their culture or anything else about Reapers. They were truly to be feared.
Takeo came to a halt, just before they almost reached Cade's room. Many of his fellow peers were thinking the same thing: Why did he stop? Is something wrong?
He looked down as he began. "Hold up a second, before we all go in and risk our lives for these generators..." He pauses for a second, Ryoji and the company were thinking of what grievous question he wanted to inquire about something. Something extremely important, it seemed..
"What's a Mecha?" He asked, dumbfounded of what it was actually. Wait.....He's kidding, right? Cade marveled inside his mind. I mean, everyone has heard folktales about Mechas. Where did this guy even grow up at? Were you born yesterday or something?
You always know how to do or think the unexpected, eh, old friend? Funka looked at her friend with a slight smile.
"I seen Gundam and all that Anime shit, I just don't know what our Mechas are." The cold-hearted boy added further details for his compatriots, all seven of his fellow peers looked at him wild eyed.
Not knowing what a Mecha is and its purpose would prove that you are nothing more than a self-absorbed oaf. Reza did not have the best impression of him. He thought of him as an "oaf".
This was all, once again, evidence that Takeo Fukuazan did not care nor paid too much attention at History class. He believed that he could become the best without wits: only talent will he surpass everyone.
As a student who is on the A Honor roll, Reza throughly explained as simply and yet stern with him. "Alright then, Fukuazan, I will give you a little history about Mechas and why they're considered dangerous."
"The only thing that's going to be dangerous is this lecture you're about to give me."
"Are you threatening me?!" Reza was astonished of how Takeo was so different from the other kids; a kid who is filled of misanthropic tendencies to those that treated him and others foully, making him on the greater side of good. Screwing the law like a crook has its perks, but a con man or a kingpin will get caught in the long haul. Takeo's naïveté was absconded when he was a victim of racism because of his....curse. He pondered on why did people hate him exactly, even when they didn't even bother on knowing him. To him—it was as if they judge the boon by its cover and never the content inside of it.
How did you end being enrolled into the Surwick in the first place?!"
"Sorry. I'm on edge." Takeo apologized to Reza quickly. "Just don't make it too long." He agreed in Reza teaching him a thing or two about Mechas, before adding; "Or else we could get ambushed by a bunch of those...things and I wanna live to see another day." He folded his arms and waited for Reza.
Maybe I judged you too soon. There could be more about you than people perceive you how to be. Reza thought, he was a N.U.S.N. citizen who's been living in Avignon for all of his life, and there are stories about Takeo Fukuazan, the boy whose tantrum almost destroyed Avignon, Kurikami, and Windvoren in one night alone.
Reza cleared his throat and according to Reza, who had knew many things about the Ten Realms, Mechas were as old as time itself from a few theories. ZiON, a major pharmaceutical and research corporation have gathered information that Mechas were originally constructed during the olden days of India by the name of "Vimana". Yet, other researchers from other parties or from organizations disagree with ZiON, many claiming that the crumbling Roman Empire had thought of this vivid conception, or otherwise known as "Talos". But in order to manufacture these wondrous machines, it had to be fueled by large amounts of Aether, the life source of all living beings. This was a tricky thing to pull due to Aether harvest was a horrendous sin (presumably ten living beings powered one Mecha).
Mecha were mainly for war purposes, Vimanas could transform into Hindu inspired metal warriors and Talos can decimate small platoons with a faint swing of their renowned bronze sword. Finally, feudal Japan stole a Vimana and used it for their conquest. Eventually, more and more empires desired to have their own Mecha, to protect their homeland from the ever-looming threat the world was facing at the time.
To be exact: What was the threat?
Heart-Bonds. Sure, these days they are extremely endangered species with specimen including Ryoji Dragomir Kazama and Jordyn Himasaki, but back then they were violent and blood-thirsty creatures. Creatures that wanted to terraform Mid-World and make it a slave-world of Corheim.
Recently, scientist and mechanic have been doggedly pursuing their dreams by fabricating and manufacturing Mecha, but none of them have been successful attempts.
It was mentioned earlier in the story—The Seoul Incident. That was an example of an attempt to recreate the old style Mechas.
"Do you understand what a Mecha is now?" Questioned Reza.
The demon weasel fox boy looked at him casually and said, "Nope. I still don't understand."
All of them were flabbergasted at the fact that Takeo didn't pay attention to Reza's lecture. He did not even bat an eye about the whole ordeal with Heart-Bonds. That lecture was summed up perfectly, it hit all of the good information. I spoke in a clear voice. I MADE sure that I spoke in a clear voice and still. Still he doesn't know what a Mecha is?! This guy is truly something else.....Completely else...Reza thought, perplexed at how the boy did not even blink nor paid attention to his comrades' faces, especially Reza's, which stems from he was used to prejudice and the people not understanding him completely. He truly did not give a care in the world of what people thought of him anymore.
He can't be that shallow. Or is he really so shallow? I kinda expected more than him to be more...thoughtful.. I mean, didn't he used to get ridiculed most of his life because of it? Sera murmured, making sure that no one heard her
The three-minute lecture gave a refresh on the history of Mechas, even Ryoji's mind was clear afterwards. The way the Assassin's Guild taught him about some history was completely muddled with In his opinion: The lines of truth and lie were obscured. Every deed done nowadays has an undertone to it. Most of assassins from Ravenskreig carried an ulterior motive with them no matter where they went, some wanted to decimate an entire population to consume their extinguished souls in the aftermath while others wanted to become mercenaries for the thrill of money. Now those were the worst kind of life-takers, being an unwilling assassin takes an extreme toll on one's conscience. The smooth, brown eyes of Ryoji Dragomir Kazama was reminiscing about the group he used to be part of, the group who would do everything beyond his power just to have them back again.
There was the seven of them, modeled after the Seven Deadly Sins—and Ryoji was the "personification" of wrath. He usually carried a calm and extremely mature air around him, using complex words and tactics to confuse his opponents in battle. But if he was enraged: None could escape his wrath, and his strength would increase tenfold.
Funka has placed her hand on Cade's shoulder, feeling deeply intimidated by her in the first place. Her father was nine other than Captain Molotov, a highly-esteemed hero in the N.U.S.N. To have her on the team was the holy grail. The new kid, Ryoji Dragomir Kazama, Cade was unfamiliar with. Then again: who is he to talk. It was Funka's combat prowess had both impressed and scared Cade Kikaishin, fighting like a punk and a professional fighter combined.
He would never want to get on her bad side... That is to be sure.
"So, what is your...what's its name again? Hold on; did you even tell us its name?" Questioned Funka, Cade chuckled sheepishly, which he followed by a sudden yet questionable answer, "It isn't a plant: it's not a living, breathing creature needs to eat in order to survive!" He started to wipe out some sweat off his forehead, this was the first indication that his room was nearby.
Ryoji objected, "On the contrary, they are indeed since they to consume numerous amounts followed him now as his dorm room was not even two minutes away from their current pace. "Inu—Inugann. Its name is Inugann."
"Dog-Face-e? It has a face of a dog-og?" Akina asked out of curiosity. She always loved the faces of dogs and wanted a pet dog since she was five but cannot due to Marcus being deathly allergic to them. There were hypoallergenic dogs she could get; it has been always been a struggle to take care of animals.
Love them yet has no experience to tend to.
"The name is pretty self-explanatory, Willoby." Sanda commented, his blonde hair got in the way as he then combed it to the back with his hand. It was not long after his insult, he was pulled by the side by Akina's unofficial partner, Funka, a quick pull of that. "Mind your tone with her, Shock Value! You should deflate your ego before it gets the best of you....Or else..." Funka threatened him in a sinisterly fashion, Ryoji wanted to stop her from potentially hurting him,yet; he was curious if this boy was either a pushover—like Cade from what he has seen thus far, or possessing a defiant voice. "Or else what? You gonna call your daddy to beat me up?" Him provoking Funka? Sanda knew right then and there—he messed up completely and utterly, observing the searing anger in his peers' eye and her hands were starting to heat up from her powers. Even her fingernails what were painted with effort were no more, revealing her natural black fingernails. They were quite nice and glossy, no one paid attention to her nails. Igneus was the only one who took a notice of it, screaming and yelling about it to Ryoji.
"Her actual fingernails are black?? They're black! Oh boy! They're so short! So black and burnished, too! Does that mean her pink flames isn't the same type as ours?" It was blatant, so official: Igneus has a nail fetish.
It isn't, Iggy...Her explosions are probably made of Nitro or something else entirely. Whatever is the case: She could be our biggest threat yet in achieving total redemption....
"And what about Akina? Is she a threat?" His Heart asked sorrowfully, he knew the answer to his question; fully aware that it was not one to shallow easily.
No..I admire her for her courage and her wits, but courage can get you so far if you're strong or know how to fight, and being quick on your feet doesn't even matter if you get beaten up effortlessly.....
"Okay brats, that's enough!" Reza interjected in between of them, he was a brilliant choice, since his resilient skin could have easily withstand both electricity and miniature explosions with ease. His head turning side to side in making sure they both calmed down, and as a result of his glasses being knocked down—he squinted at them. "How about this for a proposition: Sanda, you're with Ryoji, Cade, and me. Funka, go with people you actually like. You think you meatheads can do that?" He proposed to the both of them, one of them had a slow moment before realizing on what he said.
And it wasn't the recommended student, either.
"....That's a great idea!" Beamed Sanda, "I'm with that!" Funka nodded yes, sticking with people she either had no absolute problems with or simply liked. Sanda, like a frivolous puppy, Sanda followed Reza around until they finally made it: Cade's dorm room.
Pressure was crawling on Cade's skin, struggling to unlock his door as his controversial truth was about to be revealed. Mechas like Inugann were extremely rare, and he more so "borrowed" the Automation.
Ryoji stood there as everyone walked inside his room, determined to use the Mecha for a righteous . Akina and Reza looked back, with her asking "Ryoji-i?"
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. I just feel a little queasy. I'll stay here to make sure we don't get ambushed by those Reapers. Ok?" He lied as Akina simply smiled and head on with the gang. Reza stopped and said, "Ryoji, once the Mecha has been activated—you'll be in charge of the expedition from now. I'm glad you let me into your group. I'm really glad." Ryoji felt extremely warm from the inside, a compliment like that reminded him of the old days of what one of his friends used to say or so similar to it: I'm glad you let me in. His friend was considered to be the weakest assassin in the Assassin's Guild. He was stricken down in the end by another "friend" of his.
Ryoji felt a large amount of Aether in Cade's resident, suddenly surging in Cade's room as the rest didn't seem to feel like it even existed.
That was the downfall of Heart-Bonds. The large pools of Aether in them attracted unwanted attention, which drove them on the brink of extinction. Also, standing in the same room where the very same machine that massacred his people, he couldn't bear it. It felt as if he would betray them by doing so. Even his little T-Rex was screaming to stay where he is, which he followed his own Heart.
Cade's room was filled with sulfate from above, there were numerous health code violations towards this boy. "Any resident of Surwick must and always have a room where air quality must be very good." Reza murmured one of the rules to himself. He had pondered on why Cade did not say anything sooner.
This is truly inhumane of the Principal.....
How could the Principal even do such a thing? The group excluding Ryoji and Cade thought, feeling pity for the latter.
"I'm sorry that my room is so damn messy." He made an excuse about it. I didn't get time to clean this week. Inugann should be next to the bathroom, second door on the right."
He clenched his stomach from the air quality in his room, but he knew why he was put underneath the Meister's' room in the first place.
The Italian Ninja was there at day...I guess since he hated my father; he could have switched up the rooms with someone else and I've been too much of a wimp to go up in the Principal's office and tell him about it.....
Cade was bracing himself when his group were a out to gaze his Mecha as pitiful, getting ready for He didn't want them to look at him different when they see his room. His dorm room was located beneath the Meister's Central Room room; where Meister apprentices can craft their weapons and garner more techniques for the battles to come.
Meisters are one of the three strongest factions, right behind Shinobis and Protectors. They handle the more "supernatural" spectrum of heroic activities.
even Mei-Lee, the Meister Elite, is world-renowned for her abilities. Although she refused the Principal's offer to join the faculty, they remain as close friends. They found solace in each other, and they both share a profound love on food. Everyone went to the Mecha's room. The five of them were looking at Inugann—possibly the last of its kind. profoundly as Cade tidy his room up a bit.
The five of them looked at his prized possession: Inugann. It was a strange, miniature Mecha with a large blue dog face and a mouth filled with metal teeth. It possessed short yet strong legs and average sized arms. It was ten foot tall. Sanda actually climbed ran up to and climbed in the cockpit of it. He revved it like a normal car, to no avail. They kept on staring at it, sharing their thoughts out loud.
"Wow, it's really nice looking!"
"That's a Mecha all right..."
"It's really-ly cute looking-g!"
"Not bad..."
"I thought it was more of a super car than a train to operate. Damnit!"
"Sanda! You shouldn't be playing around with an old death machine in the first place!"
Sera came to Sanda's defense. "Oh, a sock in it Reza! He's just curious!"
Meanwhile, he took At first, he brushed off the black powder off his bed and looked at a picture of his father. The late Mr.Kikaishin, whom he never met.
She had him extremely made jumped
"Sorry," She apologized, followed her clarifying , "the soles on my feet don't exactly make a noise when I walk and those damn shoes the Surwick hands out are so tight." Afterwards, he nodded in agreement and tried to finish up cleaning his room, ignoring Funka for a moment.
She watched on and on how he brushed the black soil off his trusted bed; he did it so by precise hand movements to that of a violinist.
"So, Cade. You live beneath the Meister's central forging room, am I hearing that right?" The young delinquent asked the mechanic sincerely, although she was a rebellious delinquent: She still had etiquette. Her father and her were famous throughout the N.U.S.N. due to his title, she picked up a few tricks from royals and poets galore.
At first, he answered with sorrowful nod. "Yeah." He said, holding the picture of his father in his hand and looking at it. "Apparently, my Dad did some stupid things when he was young and if I remember correctly, he was one of the people that started the 2006 Incident. People hold that against me. People love your dad cause he's a hero and they hate mine because he's responsible for hundreds of people dying. That's how the world works."
Yeah. He is a lovable dork who's so oblivious to everything around him. I get your point, Cade. I really do, but you're wrong on how the world works, it can be beautiful—as well as its people. Funka thought, she kept her mouth shut, thinking it was best to not state on how she actually felt.
All because of 2006 Incident, bullies and hypocrites have assaulted Cade Kikaishin daily, including disgusting remarks when he appeared in the class room dirty, dragging cinder and dirt with him every day. Everyone has a past—that does not mean people should judge them because of it.
Funka decided to sit down and discuss things privately with him. She felt grateful that the boy actually
"I'm going to tell you something, when we'll finish and we will soon, I'll be glad to help you in getting a new room; and that is a promise I intend to keep."
"You don't have to-"
"No." Funka interrupted her as she continued on. "It isn't fair to you. All those screw loose people like Kadoku and Jordyn always pick on an innocent kid like you, just because they lost someone to your dad back in 2006. You're your own person: You're not your dad, I know that for a fact. If it wasn't for you: We probably would have gotten hurt already or later down the road. You have a badass robot to use and take care of villains instead of some stupid sword that no one cares about. I don't even remember the names of them."
She pulled him up by the arms and commanded him. "Now let get up and start that Mecha up."
Able to take her advice into his heart, Cade decides willfully to show them Inugann. He remembered that quote, it was his "brother", Yago, who said it all the time. Speak through your actions, Cade, as words don't have meaning in this action-packed world.
His face had turned into a more courageous side, ripped his necklace with ease and ran to , running Cade shoved it into the ground with all of his measly strength and turned it ninety-five degrees counter clockwise. A large spiral of green Aether-like energy, manifested as a soul for the Mecha, shaped like a inu and forced itself into the metallic mouth of Inugann. It has been awaken once again, slowly opening its lustrous eyes and moving itself into motion again. The machine kept on focusing in on something, a standing object, before using its shiny metal finger to point at its pilot.
What is your proclamation of war: Cade Kikaishin?
What sort of Aether is that?!? Reza thought as it stopped, the strange Mecha opened his golden eyes as it started to move. Akina's face was in awe, dropping her jaw to the ground as Sera gently put it back to its place. The boy named Ryoji ran into the room and a genuine smile was sculpted onto his face.
"You guys want my proclamation of war?!"
"Not really." There is Takeo being himself.
"Here it is—This is Inugann! Inugann has been my Mecha since the day I found it, and I am its operator! Today has truly been a scary day for us all, but today is the day where I won't hide in fear like a mole! I will stand beside you all to win this!! That is my declaration speech!"
"That's one hell-ll of a declaration speech." Akina stated, they had reverted into their serious counterparts as Inugann's advanced radar received a ping: Twenty points coming closer to their location, closer and closer.
———Track 09 Ended———